It is well-known that sales representatives often rely on establishing a personal connection with a consumer in order to more effectively persuade the consumer to purchase an item for sale. Establishing this personal connection can assist the consumer with trusting the sales representative. Otherwise, the consumer may not consider the sales representative's advice or guidance when deciding whether and what to purchase. This is especially the case where the consumer may be in the market to purchase a high priced item, such as electronics, furniture, a vehicle, or a home. Deciding whether and what to purchase can include many considerations that the sales representative can assist with in order to help the consumer make an informed purchase. However, the consumer will not regard the sales representative's advice if: 1) he or she does not trust the sales representative, or 2) does not find the information he/she is providing relatable. In addition, gaining the consumer's trust and confidence leads to a higher likelihood that the consumer will become a repeat customer and recommend the retail establishment to other consumers.
It is also known that establishing a rapport with a consumer can assist a sales representative with the consumer. Building a rapport includes highlighting common interests or activities and establishing a mutual feeling of friendliness. Creating a friendly social environment within the retail environment can enhance the consumer's retail experience and increase the likelihood of a purchase, as well as repeat purchases within the same retail environment. If the consumer associates a retail experience with positive feelings, the consumer is more likely to return and recommend the retail establishment to others. Unfortunately, building a rapport can be very difficult because some consumers are inherently prone to distrusting sales people as having a self-interest, which places consumers on the defensive. Also, it is difficult to quickly identify a common interest or experience in a retail environment where there is very limited information readily available to the sales representative about the consumer.
One known method of establishing a rapport with a consumer is to mimic the customer's body language, communication style, and mannerisms. This is also known as mirroring the consumer. It allows the consumer to feel more comfortable with the sales representative because people generally feel more comfortable around other like individuals. Unfortunately, mirroring may not be enough to overcome a consumer's initial distrust of sales people in general and/or other negative impressions that the consumer may have of the sales representative based on a first impression. Also, mirroring is more effective in person and is difficult to establish via electronic communications.
Another known method of establishing rapport with consumers is to stay informed with current events. The hope is that the sales representative may discuss current events as a way to establish rapport through social conversation. Unfortunately, the consumer may not be aware of the current events or may be uninterested in the current event. Existing methods of establishing rapport with consumers do not provide a quick and convenient method of learning specific information about a particular consumer that is more personal and relevant to the consumer. Establishing a rapport is best accomplished within the first few minutes of an initial meeting according to some sales experts.
There are generally two broad categories of retail environments: physical retail establishments (also referred to as “brick-and-mortar” retail establishments) and e-commerce websites that trade products or services over computer networks, such as the Internet. With the growing popularity of e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail establishments have been quickly losing sales to Internet e-commerce websites. Many consumers prefer to purchase items over the Internet because of the convenience of being able to purchase at any time and from virtually anywhere. Accordingly, brick-and-mortar retail establishments are currently searching for new ways of enhancing the consumer experience therein to bring in new customers and retain the old.
On the other hand, Internet e-commerce websites have their drawbacks, as well. In particular, establishing a personal rapport with a consumer via an e-commerce website is difficult, if not impossible, because of the lack of personal interactivity between most retail websites and the consumer. Some consumers enjoy a more personal retail experience. Accordingly, existing e-commerce websites possess an Internet-centric problem of providing an impersonal retail environment. It is well-known that the Internet provides a measure of emotional distance between people because of the lack of physical presence, which makes most Internet e-commerce websites an inherently impersonal environment for conducting business.
In addition, retail establishments often employ several sales representatives. There is usually no established method or system of matching a sales representative to a consumer. Typically, the first sales representative to see and approach the consumer is informally paired with the consumer, regardless of whether that sales representative is the best match for the consumer. This can provide an unsatisfactory consumer experience. For example, a sales representative with no children may not be the most appropriate sales representative to understand the vehicular needs of a large family looking to purchase a minivan. Existing retail environments do not provide a more targeted method of ensuring that the consumer is paired with the most compatible sales representative, or with a sales representative having a common interest with the consumer.
One prior art system identifies an appropriate sales professional who possesses a sales record of best obtaining sales from customers with the mood or an emotional state demonstrated by the consumer's facial expressions within the retail environment. However, keeping a record of sales representatives' customers and their mood or emotional state at the time of the sale is very cumbersome and inconvenient. The system is also prone to inaccuracies, because a consumer's facial expression, mood, and emotional state can change many times throughout a purchasing experience. Moreover, the prior art system does not provide personal information to the sales representative that would assist the sales representative with building a rapport with the consumer over a shared interest or characteristic.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.